Yamaha PS-20, Indie Rock's Favorite Thrift Store Synth

I bought a Yamaha PS-20 over 12 years ago after becoming obsessed with Beach House's Teen Dream, a dreamy indie pop record that I still enjoy to this day. This video is about the synth/keyboard behind the band's sound, reportedly picked up by Victoria Legrand in a thrift store. I talk about it's features and (somewhat annoyingly) go through all the sounds it has to offer...something I usually leave to other reviewers.
I'm still new to KZbin and appreciate any comments about the video or how bad the lighting in my my videos is. Hit me with comments, I love to hear what you think!
Find your own PS-20:
ebay.us/UzZSTr
My song David Lynch's Hair appears at the end of this video and uses the PS_20: open.spotify.com/track/6ofvXs...
My music on Spotify:
open.spotify.com/artist/0N3yh...
And Apple Music:
/ winter-triangle

[@chetplease]

beautiful (looking and sounding) guitar

[@HiImNathan]

Chet! Appreciate you checking out the video! Yeah it sounds so good here I agree…it’s a Nash Tele and it’s my #1

[@topheecheesecake]

Something people don't necessarily know is that you can press 2 presets at once and get a mix of both sounds. Also works for drum patterns and arpeggiators. 😉 So strange to see it praised after going unnoticed since it came out. I got mine for Christmas '81 and it still works perfectly. I can't say I've ever really loved its sounds and it's a VERY limited electric organ but its distinctive organ and vibraphone sounds are inseparable from my youth ! It's a very strange feeling to hear it here. Your track is amazing ! I should definitely try to run it through some effects. 😊

[@HiImNathan]

That is totally true and a feature I forgot about, thanks for leaving a comment! It really has a special vibe and sounds great in a mix, I love it and it’s spooky tones.

[@chetplease]

you can wedge a guitar pick under the adjacent keys to hold the note down. maybe not on every keyboard but I've had success with that in the past.

[@HiImNathan]

My dude always coming in with good tips…I’ll give it a try!

[@alexxartificial]

I really enjoyed this, those PS keyboards were so good

[@HiImNathan]

Thanks so much for watching Alexx! They truly were, kinda want a backup now :)))

[@mushdath]

I just got one like new from an 80s music store, it will be the main sound of my band, clearly with pedals 😸

[@HiImNathan]

That is a band I would like to join!

[@mushdath]

@@HiImNathan The band is very local haha with a lot of enthusiasm, yes, the sound could be described as very new wave and city pop. The sound is like a typical band made up of 2 guitars, bass, drums, and I am in charge of keyboards, I use this Yamaha Ps20 keyboard and an Alessi Micron, mainly pads and strings. He also incorporated a Tascam 02 mkII to make pads with the Tape Loop technique with guitar pedals, to achieve atmospheres in certain songs.

[@HiImNathan]

Sounds like a very fun project, good luck! Stop back and share a link when you have some music we can listen to

[@mushdath]

@@HiImNathan of course!

[@trentpelletier1477]

Amazing video, I actually looked this up just the other day because I was curious what my favorite band uses. Glad you posted!

[@trentpelletier1477]

I'm also a huge ambient fan so your track at the end was a pleasent surprise!

[@HiImNathan]

Hey Trent, so glad you found the video. You’re exactly who I made it for…I love Beach House and this keyboard. Appreciate you watching all the way to the end too.

[@chetplease]

Great track at the end too.

[@HiImNathan]

Appreciate that! It’s one of my favs for sure…wrote and recorded during the pandemic, before I even realized I would be putting any music into the world.